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It is so tempting to go to the cheapest car that you see online when you want to buy a used vehicle. Perhaps you were searching for cars and you saw a very good deal on Craigslist. You may be tempted to go ahead and buy that car. But it could be a huge mistake. Here are three mistakes that you must avoid when you are buying a used car.

No Mechanical Checks

Even if you are buying a used car from someone that you trust, it is best to get another opinion on the state of the car. Of course the person who is selling you the car will say that it works great. In fact, they may even believe that it works great.

But there are issues that may not be obvious until someone checks the car in detail. And that person should be a car enthusiast or someone from an auto repair shop. Only someone who knows a lot about cars can tell you whether the vehicle is in good condition or not.

Buying Off Unsecure Sites

We mentioned Craigslist in our introduction on purpose. Even though so many secure sites exist where you can buy used cars, people still go on Craigslist. While there is nothing wrong with Craigslist in theory, it does have a lot of risk attached to it.

You have no idea who you are buying this car from. You do not even know if they are the legal owner until they show you the relevant paperwork. And if the deal goes through and your car breaks down a few days later, you have no recourse.

You will be left with a car that doesn’t start. Not only are you spending money on calling a towing company, but you probably have to spend more on getting the car fixed. The sale was done, which means you cannot do anything about it!

Buying a Very Old Vehicle

Even if you find a secure site where you can reverse a car deal, it does not make sense to buy a very old car. If the car is more than 15 years old, you should steer clear. It may be cheap now, but you will be paying for repairs and tows for the coming years. It is better to save up some more money and buy a newer car. That will save you a lot of headache down the road!